I don’t think the only thing our Church needs is defending. I believe the truth would help us more. There is so much abuse in our Church even in the form of secrecy. In my area there is a priest who has two small rural parishes. They have been overseen by the same priest for the last ten years. Well five years ago a woman returned to church and began going to both of these two churches, wanting to fully emerse herself in the faith. One of the churches was the first church she ever went to and where she was baptized, received first communion and the sacrament of confirmation.
The priest at this chruch reached out to the troubled woman and began spiritual direction. Soon after, they began to develope a close relationship. Spending more and more time together. Going places together. Each day she became more and more active in the church and closer to the priest. Now this woman opened up her heart and her life to this priest. She shared with him all of her fears and all the abuses that she had suffered in life. In turn he reached out to help her. He made her a close personal friend. Took her into his life, his home (both the rectory and his cabin in the country) and bed. It started slowly. First he would kiss her, then he would slip his tongue into her mouth and tell her that she could not do that. As if she had just done that, instead of him. He would touch her breast in passing and say pardon me. Then he would engage her in intimate conversation. Then he would grab her breast and squeeze them. Now this woman had been abused for most of her life. This was I suppose a step up for her. Well this went on until they were in bed together and spending hours each day on the phone and even in person together. Going to his cabin in the country and to other getaway places. Her husband was really wondering but this man is a priest and can be trusted with his wife.
This priest eventually after four years hired this woman to do the church census and then as the new bookkeeper and secretary. Hmmm. Well the woman found countless things wrong with the books and began to fix them. Hundreds of hours and months passed and finally the two churches books were for the most part clean and orderly. Little pay did she receive, she would work over 50 hours a week cleaning up his mess that he had allowed the previous woman to make and by the way paying her nicely to mess up the books and this woman he paid little. After all she was his “friend” and should just do these things for him at give it no thought. Why did it matter if she got paid, after all she had spent the last four plus years doing for him anything he ask.
Then one day he announced his intent to move on. This woman was devestated, she thought this man/priest loved her. Then he blamed her, said that she was a sinful woman that had seduced him and that he had to move on but that they could continue to be friends and see each other often. Well one thing led to another and this woman began to act out in chidish ways. Wanting him to see how upset she was at his leaving. One night she even went as far as to visit his cabin while he was having dinner with his long time lover, who has a cabin right up the road. In fact this is how he come to have the cabin in this gated country retreat. When his brother the MSGR started to move even higher up the religious ladder he (this priests brother) decided to sell his cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks where this priest as well as his brother had brought their women. So it being sold this wonderful priest had to find another honeymoon suite for their women. In luck he was, as I said his girlfriend showed him the cabin and he with his brother bought it up quickly.
Anyway, this woman went out there and took his other girlfriends license plates off and laid them next to the cabin and left. The woman just wanted him to know how hurt she was at his actions and his coldness. The woman has obvious maturity issues due to her sexual abuse as a child and young adult.
Well that did not go over well with his other girlfriend, she began to threaten him that if he did not get rid of this woman she would sue him and come clean about their 38 year affair. So he thought it over and the woman helped him to make up his mind. She came to dinner on Sunday night and when the conversation turned to the new priest that was to come, she mentioned to the priest that she would make use of the sacrament of reconciliation. Telling him that she was unable to do so for many years due to their relationship. The next moring she arrived for weekday mass and went to the rectory to count money with the other money counter and he would not even speak to her. He acted as if she was a monster or worse. That very day he went straight to the Vicar for Priests and the Bishop and a church lawyer and told a tiny bit of their relationship. Painting this woman as a liar, a cheat and an all around bad person. He set her up and discounted her at every turn. He returned home that evening and terminated her at once as he was instructed to do by the diocese. No thought was given to this womans side, no thought to her mental health. He just used her to the fullest extent and then threw her away.
Problem solved! Now his long time lover was happy, he was happy and so was his church.
I know I have no ability to write and I know I am so upset by the treatment of this woman by our Church that I can barely keep my mind straight.
